College football fans tend to argue over everything that happens on the field and off the field. An often heard argument around office water coolers and stadium concourses is that some schools focus too much on athletics at the expense of academics; this argument is often used by SEC detractors when SEC supporters tout the seven consecutive BCS National Championships won by the conference since the 2006-2007 football season. The common argument is that the conference is full of second-rate schools that concentrate too much effort on football and not enough on education which is why the SEC is a dominant force in college football.
We live in the age of data and indexing with rankings for nearly everything. If you are reading this, you are no doubt familiar with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings of college football teams and also with the US News & World Report (USN&WR) rankings of the Best National Universities. We also have rankings of student-athlete performance in the classroom, but no one has taken an academic approach to ranking college football’s Automatic-Qualifying conferences in terms of overall academic performance; this is not a means of ranking the classroom performance of the football players themselves, but rather a methodology chosen to rank the major football conferences based on the quality of education offered by each respective conference’s member institutions. I set out to determine the quality of the schools in these major football conferences and rank each conference based on the academic prestige of its member institutions.
It is with the thought of settling these alumni arguments in mind that I created the Hampson Conference Intelligence Score (HCI). I used the US News & World Report rankings of the Best National Universities as the basis for individual school rankings in the HCI. Realizing that some conferences have more football playing institutions than others, I averaged the rankings of each school in each conference and then neutralized any outliers by establishing the median ranking for each conference, as well. I then averaged the average USN&WR ranking of the conference’s football playing schools and the median ranking for each of those respective member institutions to arrive at the HCI score for each conference.
The American Athletic Conference (The American), Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12), and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) are considered major football conferences since each of the respective conference’s champions gains an automatic bid to a Bowl Championship Series game. How do these conferences fare in the HCI score index? Read the following to find out which of the conferences in major college football can claim to turn out scholars and which should probably focus less on football and more on education metrics.
Most Academic Conference in Major College Football – ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)
- Hampson Conference Intelligence (HCI) Score: 52.46
- Number of Member Schools with Football Teams: 14
- Average Academic Ranking of the ACC: 50.43
- Median Academic Ranking of the ACC: 54.5
Top 25 Schools: The ACC has three universities ranked in the USN&WR Top 25: Duke (#7), University of Virginia (#23), and Wake Forest (#23). 21.43% of ACC schools are ranked in the Top 25 academically, giving the conference the second highest percentage of Top 25 academic programs in major college football.
Top 50 Schools: Seven ACC schools rank in the Top 50 for academics. In addition to the three Top 25 programs listed above, the ACC also hosts these four universities ranked between #26 and #50 in the nation for undergraduate education: UNC-Chapel Hill (#30), Boston College (#31), Georgia Tech (#36), and the University of Miami (#47). 50% of the schools in the ACC are ranked in the Top 50 for academics, the highest percentage of any major football conference.
Top 100 Schools: Every single school in the ACC but one, NC State (#101), makes the USN&WR list of Top 100 National Universities. The six ACC schools ranking between #51 and #100 academically include: Clemson University (#62), Maryland – College Park (#62), Pitt (#62), Syracuse (#62), Virginia Tech (#69), and Florida State (#91). The ACC has the highest percentage of Top 100 schools of any major football conference with 92.86% of its schools listed in USN&WR’s Top 100 undergraduate programs.
2nd Most Academic Conference in Major College Football – Big Ten Conference
- Hampson Conference Intelligence (HCI) Score: 57.91
- Number of Member Schools with Football Teams: 12
- Average Academic Ranking of the BIG 10: 55.83
- Median Academic Ranking of the BIG 10: 60
Top 25 Schools: The Big Ten has only one school, Northwestern (#12), ranked in the USN&WR Top 25 national universities. 8.33% of the Big Ten’s schools are ranked in the Top 25 academically, giving the conference the third highest percentage of Top 25 academic programs in major college football.
Top 50 Schools: Five Big Ten schools rank in the Top 50 for academics. In addition to the Top 25 program listed above, the Big Ten is also home to four universities ranking between #26 and #50 in the USN&WR rankings for national universities: Michigan – Ann Arbor (#28), Penn State (#37), Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (#41), and Wisconsin – Madison (#41). 41.67% of schools in the Big Ten are ranked in the Top 50 for academics, the second highest percentage of any major football conference.
Top 100 Schools: Every single school in the Big Ten but one, Nebraska – Lincoln (#101), is ranked in the Top 100 of national universities, according to USN&WR. The six Big Ten schools ranking between #51 and #100 academically include: Ohio State (#52), Purdue (#68), University of Minnesota (#69), University of Iowa (#73), Michigan State (#73), and Indiana University (#75). The Big Ten has the second highest percentage of Top 100 schools of any major college football conference with 91.67% of its schools in the Top 100 of the USN&WR Best National Universities list.
3rd Most Academic Conference in Major College Football – Pacific 12 Conference (Pac-12)
- Hampson Conference Intelligence (HCI) Score: 89.16
- Number of Member Schools with Football Teams: 12
- Average Academic Ranking of the Conference: 80.83
- Median Academic Ranking of the Conference: 97.5
Top 25 Schools: The Pac-12 is home to four universities ranked in the Top 25 of USN&WR’s Best National Universities list: Stanford (#5), Cal – Berkeley (#20), University of California – Los Angeles (#23), and University of Southern California (#23). 33.33% of Pac-12 schools are ranked in the Top 25 academically, giving the conference the highest percentage of Top 25 academic institutions in major college football.
Top 50 Schools: Despite four of its twelve member schools being ranked in the Top 25 academically, giving the conference the highest percentage of Top 25 National Universities, the Pac-12 does not have a single school ranked between #26 and #50 in the nation. With 33.33% of its schools ranked in the Top 50, the Pac-12 has the third highest percentage of Top 50 schools of any conference in major college football.
Top 100 Schools: Six Pac-12 schools rank in the Top 100 of the USN&WR Best National Universities list. In addition to the four Top 25 schools listed above, the Pac-12 also hosts two universities ranked between #51 and #100 for undergraduate education: University of Washington (#52) and the University of Colorado – Boulder (#86). With 50% of its schools ranked in the Top 100, the Pac-12 is tied with the SEC for third place in highest percentage of Top 100 schools.
Sub-100 Schools: Half of the schools in the Pac-12 fail to crack the Top 100 academically: University of Oregon (#109), University of Arizona (#119), University of Utah (#121), Washington State (#128), Arizona State (#142), and Oregon State (#142).
4th Most Academic Conference in Major College Football – SEC
- Hampson Conference Intelligence (HCI) Score: 97.93
- Number of Member Schools with Football Teams: 14
- Average Academic Ranking of the Conference: 96.86
- Median Academic Ranking of the Conference: 99
Top 25 Schools: The SEC has one member institution ranked in the Top 25 academically: Vanderbilt (#17). 7.14% of SEC schools are ranked in the Top 25 academically, giving the conference the fourth highest percentage of Top 25 academic programs in major college football.
Top 50 Schools: Two SEC schools rank in the Top 50 for academics. In addition to Vanderbilt, the SEC also hosts one school ranking between #26 and #50 in the nation for undergraduate education: University of Florida (#49). 14.28% of the schools in the SEC are ranked in the Top 50 for academics, the fourth highest percentage of any major football conference.
Top 100 Schools: Seven SEC schools rank in the Top 100 of the USN&WR Best National Universities list. In addition to the two Top 50 schools listed above, the SEC also hosts five universities ranked between #51 and #100 for undergraduate education: University of Georgia (#60), Texas A&M (#69), University of Alabama (#86), Auburn (#91), and the University of Missouri (#97). With 50% of its schools ranked in the Top 100, the SEC is tied with the Pac-12 for third place in highest percentage of Top 100 schools.
Sub-100 Schools: Half of the schools in the SEC fail to crack the Top 100 academically: University of Tennessee (#101), University of South Carolina (#112), University of Kentucky (#119), University of Arkansas (#128), Louisiana State University (#135), Mississippi State (#142), and Ole Miss (#150).
5th Most Academic Conference in Major College Football – Big 12
- Hampson Conference Intelligence (HCI) Score: 106.5
- Number of Member Schools with Football Teams: 10
- Average Academic Ranking of the Conference: 112
- Median Academic Ranking of the Conference: 101
Top 25 Schools: The Big 12 does not have a single school ranked in the Top 25 for academics. With 0% of its schools ranked in the Top 25, the Big 12 is tied with the American Athletic Conference for last place in percentage of Top 25 national universities.
Top 50 Schools: The Big 12 does not have a single school ranked in the Top 50 for academics. With 0% of its schools ranked in the Top 50, the Big 12 is tied with the American Athletic Conference for last place in percentage of Top 50 national universities.
Top 100 Schools: Three Big 12 schools rank in the Top 100 of the USN&WR Best National Universities list, all of them between #51 and #100: University of Texas – Austin (#52), Baylor (#75), and Texas Christian University (#82). With 30% of its member universities ranking in the Top 100 academically, the Big 12 is tied with the American Athletic Conference for last place in percentage of schools ranked in the Top 100 for academics.
Sub 100 Schools: Seven of the Big 12’s schools fail to crack the Top 100 academically: Iowa State (#101), University of Kansas (#101), University of Oklahoma (#101), Kansas State (#135), Oklahoma State (#142), Texas Tech (#161), and West Virginia (#170).
Least Academic Conference in Major College Football – American Athletic Conference
- Hampson Conference Intelligence (HCI) Score: 140.75
- Number of Member Schools with Football Teams: 10
- Average Academic Ranking of the Conference: 133.5
- Median Academic Ranking of the Conference: 148
Top 25 Schools: The American Athletic Conference does not have a single school ranked in the Top 25 for academics. With 0% of its schools ranked in the Top 25, the American Athletic Conference is tied with the Big 12 for last place in percentage of Top 25 national universities.
Top 50 Schools: The American Athletic Conference does not have a single school ranked in the Top 50 for academics. With 0% of its schools ranked in the Top 50, the American Athletic Conference is tied with the Big 12 for last place in percentage of Top 50 national universities.
Top 100 Schools: Three American Athletic Conference schools rank in the Top 100 of the USN&WR Best National Universities list, all of them between #51 and #100: University of Connecticut (#57), Southern Methodist University (#60), and Rutgers (#69). With 30% of its member universities ranking in the Top 100 academically, the American Athletic Conference is tied with the Big 12 for last place in percentage of schools ranked in the Top 100 for academics.
Sub 100 Schools: Seven of the American Athletic Conference’s schools fail to crack the Top 100 academically: Temple (#121), University of Cincinnati (#135), Louisville (#161), University of Central Florida (#170), University of South Florida (#170), University of Houston (#190), and University of Memphis (RNP – Rank Not Published).
Author’s Note: USN&WR does not publish rankings for schools ranked outside of the Top 201 in the nation. The University of Memphis fell outside of the Top 201 resulting in its rank not being published. When calculating the American Athletic Conference’s average academic rating, I gave the University of Memphis the benefit of the doubt and computed its rank as #202. Since the conference finished last among major football conferences for average and median USN&WR academic ranking, the benefit of the doubt did not alter the effects of the conference rankings.
In addition to the computation of the Hampson Conference Intelligence (HCI) Score, I also ranked the conferences based on the percentage of member schools crossing certain academic thresholds. I did this in order to provide talking points to fans of certain conferences and also to highlight the disparity in performance of universities belonging to certain conferences. Of particular note is the disparity in academic performance within the Pacific-12 conference. Four of the Pac-12’s schools rank in the Top 25, but six fall outside of the Top 100. The level of educational disparity between member institutions stands in stark contrast to the typically high-performing universities in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten, as well as the typically low-performing schools in the Big 12 and American Athletic Conference.
The Most Academic Conferences by Average USN&WR School Ranking
1st Place: ACC – 50.43
2nd Place: Big Ten – 55.83
3rd Place: Pac-12 – 80.83
4th Place: SEC – 96.86
5th Place: Big 12 – 112.00
6th Place: American – 133.50
The Most Academic Conferences by Median USN&WR School Ranking
1st Place: ACC – 54.5
2nd Place: Big Ten – 60.0
3rd Place: Pac-12 – 97.5
4th Place: SEC – 99.0
5th Place: Big 12 – 101.0
6th Place: American – 148.0
The Most Academic Conferences by Percentage of Schools Ranked in the Top 25
1st Place: Pac-12 – 33.33% (4 of 12 schools)
2nd Place: ACC – 21.43% (3 of 14 schools)
3rd Place: Big Ten – 8.33% (1 of 12 schools)
4th Place: SEC – 7.14% (1 of 14 schools)
5th Place (tie): Big 12 – 0.00% (0 of 10 schools) & American – 0.00% (0 of 10 schools)
The Most Academic Conferences by Percentage of Schools Ranked in the Top 50
1st Place: ACC – 50% (7 of 14 schools)
2nd Place: Big Ten – 41.67% (5 of 12 schools)
3rd Place: Pac-12 – 33.33% (4 of 12 schools)
4th Place: SEC – 14.28% (2 of 14 schools)
5th Place (tie): Big 12 – 0.00% (0 of 10 schools) & American – 0.00% (0 of 10 schools)
The Most Academic Conferences by Percentage of Schools Ranked in the Top 100
1st Place: ACC – 92.86% (13 of 14 schools)
2nd Place: Big Ten – 91.67% (11 of 12 schools)
3rd Place (tie): Pac-12 – 50% (6 of 12 schools) & SEC – 50% (7 of 14 schools)
5th Place (tie): Big 12 – 30% (3 of 10 schools) & American – 30% (3 of 10 schools)
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